Report: Army Preparing to Move Units from Eastern Border to Ain el-Hilweh

The army is preparing to redeploy some of its military units that took part in Operation Fajr al-Juroud to the vicinity of the Palestinian refugee camp of Ain el-Hilweh, a media report said on Sunday.

Describing the camp as an “unrest hub,” military sources told Saudi daily Asharq al-Awsat that the situation in the camp is different than the one that was prevalent on the eastern border “due to the presence of civilians.”

Any decision to act against extremist groups present in the camp “requires coordination and cooperation with the Palestinian factions, but we are always ready for any confrontation and we will immediately tackle any suspicious move,” the sources said.

The report follows an announcement by the army about the arrest of a 19-member cell led by Egyptian Islamic State militant Fadi Ibrahim Ahmed, aka Abu Khattab, who is hiding in Ain el-Hilweh.

The cell had been “plotting an act of terror,” the army said.